I was excited when the long delayed Thor: Tales of Asgard Blu-Ray arrived at my door. It was especially cool because I was going to see the new Thor movie this weekend (By the way the film is awesome). I only know of Thor from the Avengers, and his brother Loki always played a big part of it. I was hoping that Tales of Asgard would help provide some knowledge of Thor’s backstory. It did, but that was about all it did.

The first clip of Tales of Asgard was released last February. The “geek buzz” was particularly strong on this and it is finally making its long-delayed release on Blu-ray.

Don’t be fooled by the awesome Alex Ross cover. Thor: Tales of Asgard never features the mighty God of Thunder, but teenage versions of Thor and Loki. In fact, Thor doesn’t have his otherworldly powers, or hold the Mjolnir mystic hammer.

The Story
Tales of Asgard tells the story of Thor stepping outside the palace grounds of Asgard for the first time. Not knowing that Odin ordered the arena warriors to let Thor win, he discovers that fighting an unknown opponent is very different. Thor leaves on a journey to find the legendary sword of the fire giant Surtur. His lack of experiences causes a war between the Frost Giants and Asgard erupt.

Special Features
An episode from The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes features Thor squaring off against the Frost Giants under Loki’s command. The Making of Thor: Tales of Asgard discusses the differences between the animated and the live-action film, how the story came to be, and the comics that inspired them. Two different Audio commentaries are also included.

Overall
As I mentioned, I wasn’t familiar with Thor except with the Avengers. His backstory wasn’t something I understood. I enjoyed Tales of Asgard, but was disappointed it was just a “prequel.” The film doesn’t do anything wrong. I just don’t have a strong interest in learning how Thor and Loki became Gods. Especially Loki, who I was far more interested in. The film is very well done, but I can only recommend the DVD to those who love the character. However, if your are a fan I can guarantee that this is a great DVD.